Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-12-24


cious and, finally, the most constant OF
husbands and the tenderest OF parents.
Altogether, perhaps, he may be regarded
es Que of the most extraordinary exam
pies ever known of how pre-eminent
qualities can be degraded by ambition,
by the lust of sway, and by the greed OF
gain. He recoiIed before no Infamous
action when he had purpose to serve.
He was the favorite OF two kings, both
of whom loaded him with honors. and
both OF whom he shamelessly betrayed
he raised the military prestige of
Britain to the highest pitch which it
had ever attained, while for years he was
dabbling in fraudulent army contracts,
and meanly swindling the State by draw
ing the pay of soldiers who were dead.
One of the most curious points in his
hero's life, on which Lord Wolseley may
be expected to dwell, will be the clrcum-
stances Of Marlborough's genius having
lowered so late. He WAS ffty-twO years
Of age when he became commarder-ln-
chief of the British army and master
general of the ordnance and was digni-
fed with the Order OF the Garter, and
his astonishing career of military glory
lasted less than ten years. Now
Wellington, when he beat Napo-
leon at Waterloo, was fortysix years
of age; but he was a veteran victor, and
had gained fame in fifty tented fields
prior to the crowning achievement on
the plateau Of Mont St Jean. His IA
nous predecessor was not by any means
unknown as Il general when he was
called upon to head the legioDs Of Queen
Anne; in fact, he fought under rurenne
in the Low Countries, and distingm he'd
himself at the battle of Aushelm when
only twenty-five ; but it was more as the
handsome Englishman. alike gallant
and grand in manners than as a strate-
eist ora tactician, that lie was known and
popular among his English and French
comrades. Ills subsequent eleya-
ton to high rank, both in the army
and the peerage, was due not SO
much to his military qualities as
10 his indefatigable intrigues and his IN
voterate Righteousness. He was only a
brigadier general when he crushed Mon
mouth at Scdgemoor, and he gained lit
tie additional military celebrity IN his
brief expedition to Ireland in 1890, and
in the sluggish campaign in Flanders In
1871. IT was out OF the friendship of
"Mrs. Freeman" and "AIrs. Marley"
out of the extraordinary domination OBJ
tanned by Sarah Jennings over Queen
Anne, that the elevation OF Marlborough
20 a splendid position, both IN the peer
age and the army, seems to have pro-
ceeded but when the period between
l702 and I'LL comes to be passed under
review, all our knowledge Of Maribo-
roughs basencss and inddelity, bis craft,
his perfdy, and his ingratitude, is COM
pleteiy eclipsed by the splendor Of the
feats Of arms achieved by this wonderful
soldier.
Lord Wolseley, from whom magnii-
cent professional survey Of Mari
borough's military genius and capacity
may be confidently expected, will not
flil, it is to be hoped, in dwelling on the
times of his hero and throw some fur
tier light on the history of that very
pulling lyric, the "Chanson de Nal
broucs," one OF the darkest mysteries
surrounding which is that ito melody
should be identical with that Of our own
suggestive jingle, "FOr he's a jolly good
fellow. and so say all of US French
lyrical antiquaries incline to the opinion
that there was current rumOr
shortly after Malplacquet that MARI
borough had been killed i'll the battle,
and that some wag III the French army
composed the doleful dltty beginning,
MalbrOucks'en ya-ten guerre, MirOn-
ton, muontOn, mirontalne, and which
goes on to recite how page dressed all
n black brought to the Duchess the
news OF the demise OF her illustsbous
spouse, anu minutcly described the cir
cumstances OF his funeral. But why
should the Song Of Malbrouck " SUM
Der in the north OF provincial France
from I'LL TO 1881, when good woman
named Poitrine, engaged as wet nurse
for the Dauphin, the son OF Louis ANL
and Marie AntOinette, brought the bal
lad with her 10 Versailles, where at once
it became absurdly popular? 1t Is
worthy of note THAT whoever wrote Maj
brouck" committed an impudent pla-
giarism, since the song Is nlyan adapta-
ton OF a much older one called The
Funeral oil the Duke OF Guise, which
was popular among t5e French soldiers
ut the siege Of Orleans in 1868. Even
this precursor of " Malbrouck " Is, it IS
stated, not original. there being eXtant u
Spanish ballad of the thirteenth century
beginning "Mambrun sefaea laguerra. "
TO complete the imbrogllO, Chateau
brand declared that he had heard the
melody OF " Malbrouck" sung by the
Arabs in Syria, who had been singing
it ever since the days OF the Cru
sades. tt would be hard, however,
TO sever the association between
the song supposed to have been
sung after Malplacquet and tia great
captain who won in that historic fight,
especially as the compeer Of MARI
borough, the great Napoleon, scarcely
ever failed, when he mounted his horse
or entered his carriage at the beginning
OF a campaign, TO hum the first slauza Of
"MalbrOuc6 Sen Va-t-en guerre. 1T IS
fitting that the memories oil great soldiers
should be linked from age to age even
10y such humble agencies Gs burlesque
ballads; and, for aught we can tell, the
"Aialbrouck which Napoleon sang,
as rule villainously out OF tune,
bad enliyened the camp of the
Crusaders when Richard of the Lion
Heart was leading the Christian
hosts against the Paynim foe. Lord
Wolseley will not derogate by abiding
to the jingle which the wet-nurse from
Picardy brought up to the French court,
any more than he will impair the dignity
OF his narrative by informing his readers
that the dispatch announcing the victory
of Blenheim was written by Marlborough
on the back of tavern score, and that
the beginning OF that never-to-be-forgot-
ten engagement was delayed for con-
siderable time after Prince Eugene had
sent word to say that he was quite ready
by Marlborough being occupied in his
cotch, with the assistance of his aid de-
camp, in looking out his washing.
"Let Her Co."